


Creating Constellations

by Stratagem



Series: Lion Cub [5]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Childbirth, F/M, Shallura baby, Space Battle, Space Pirates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-19
Updated: 2017-10-07
Packaged: 2018-11-15 22:48:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11240889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stratagem/pseuds/Stratagem
Summary: Allura and Shiro weren't expecting parenthood to start off with such a bang, but they have to improvise when Allura goes into labor during a space battle.





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> I made a reference in “My Paladins Made Something Cute” about how Allura was still flying the castle ship and manning defenses in a space battle during the first stage of labor. So I thought I’d go more into depth with that because space-battle-baby is FUN!

Now was _not_ the time.

Allura gritted her teeth and willed away the pain coursing through her abdomen as the ship shook and trembled, buffeted by enemy fire. She breathed through it, narrowing her eyes and trying to focus on the screens around her. Hopefully Coran was too busy at his control panel to notice her expression. She knew she needed to tell him, but she didn’t know how without him immediately launching into full-fledged panic.

She was coming to the sudden and worrisome realization that the pain she was enduring wasn’t the fake contractions she had experienced a couple weeks ago. This was different. It felt sharper and steadier, and the level of pain continued to increase over time.

Apparently Emi was going to be nothing like her father. She had no patience.

Without any say in the matter, Allura was becoming certain that she was in the first stage of labor right in the middle of a massive firefight a fleet of pirate spacecraft.

The local sector had contacted Voltron and asked for a visit with only vague comments about setting up a cultural exchange program. The paladins, Allura and Coran had agreed to come with only a small amount trepidation, but within hours of the castle coming through the wormhole, they had been attacked by the pirate fleet and its gloating admiral Trusei. Allura had contacted the nearest planet, and their leaders had reluctantly told her that they had actually been blackmailed into contacting Voltron. Now Voltron and the Castle were in active defense mode. Allura understood why the systems had been secretive since they were worried about repercussions from the pirate fleet, but that didn't mean she exactly forgave them. The fleet had surrounded the castle ship too quickly, making it difficult to create a wormhole and retreat immediately. They needed to thin out the fleet before they could create a clear jump space, so they had been forced to fight.

She wouldn’t be able to ignore the pain or hide it for much longer, and she didn’t want to. She wanted to do what was best for the baby. But if she contacted Shiro, she ran the risk of breaking his concentration and putting him in danger as well as the other paladins. Shiro needed to stay focused. He most likely wouldn’t be able to keep his attention fully on the battle that was in front of him, and she doubted the others would either. She could imagine their reactions, especially Keith, who seemed to think she was going to literally break at some point during this pregnancy. And if she told Coran, he would want her to stop manning the helm, and she felt that she needed to be at her station to help with the defense of the castle.

Perhaps it wasn’t as bad as she thought. She had read enough books and articles and watched enough videos, both from Earth and Altea, to know that the first stage of labor lasted the longest. Many writers even suggested distracting yourself until the contractions moved into the second stage of labor, so she was only following the advice of professionals.

Of course, manning a helm during a battle most likely wasn’t what those doctors and midwives had in mind. Nesting would be acceptable, and so would reading a book or getting a massage or swimming. Targeting a wing of cobbled-together pirate ships with laser turrets? She didn’t remember seeing that on any of the lists.

According to their last visit with the midwife, Maire, the baby’s due date was technically about three more weeks away. Of course, that was all based on guesswork and judging both human and Altean gestation periods. Either way, Maire had said the baby was developed enough that it would be perfectly fine if she was born early. It just wasn’t expected. Allura was becoming rapidly convinced that no matter what, Emi was on her way.

Another wave of pain grabbed her, and sweat broke out on her forehead. Normally, she would have used her morphing abilities to cool down, but Alteans couldn't shapeshift during pregnancy. All right, she needed to take her health and the health of the baby into consideration and figure out where to go from there. And also find out how far away they were from an end to this battle.

“Shiro,” she said as normally as possible, “How is it going out there?”

“We’re figuring out their pattern,” he replied over the monitor. The screen in front of her showed Voltron hovering in front of the castle, defending it from the brunt of the pirate fleet’s onslaught. “They’re only using their bullet ships, so they keep dodging our long range attacks. We’re going to have to go to close combat.”

“Swishy sword time!” Lance yelled over the com.

Keith snorted. “I already heard Shiro, Lance.”

“It could be monster spear time,” Pidge said, mentioning her newest Voltron weapon, one that she was quite proud of. “He didn’t say sword yet.”

“We haven’t trained enough with it. Next time, Pidge.” Shiro spared a glance away from the battle to look at the monitor, and she noticed him narrow his eyes. “We’ll get them away from the castle. Don’t overdo it, okay?” He had been entirely against her being in a combat situation and she hadn’t been thrilled as well, but the pirates had pushed them into it.

Allura nodded and attempted to give him a huge smile that was confident and not at all tense.

His eyebrows jumped together in concern. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I need to go, well, shoot some things, dear. Talk to you in a minute.”

She cut the communication, her mind racing with the beginnings of a plan. If Voltron could keep the pirates back, she could create a wormhole as the stern of the castle ship. It would be a retreat and they would have to trust the systems in the sector to patrol themselves for a while, but at least there would be a major dent in the pirate fleet. Trusei would have to refrain from sectorwide piracy for a while, which would please the deceptive systems.

On the main monitors, Voltron was tearing through the pirate ships, sending bits and pieces hurling into space. The bullet ships were unmanned vessels but they seemed essential to the fleet. The manned vessels were taking shots at the castle while Coran and Allura attempted to hold them off.

Another contraction, sooner than she expected, forced Allura to lean heavily against the control posts. If she stayed in the fight much longer, it would be dangerous for everyone. There were far less ships in the fleet now, so creating wormhole space wouldn't be as difficult.

“Princess?” Coran asked, and she looked up to find him watching her, his attention torn between her and his control panel.

Allura gave him a weak smile. “I think we’re going to need to rush that retreat, Coran.” One of her hands was resting on her stomach, and Coran’s gaze zeroed in on it.

For a second, he seemed confused, then his violet eyes grew enormous. “By the peaks of Teth, the baby! Is it the baby? Are you all right? It’s the baby!” He started to run toward her, then he turned back toward his control panel, then back toward her. “The battle! Allura, you cannot have a baby during the middle of an impromptu dogfight with pirates, I simply forbid it.”

Perhaps it was the tension or her own fear or just the firm yet alarmed look on Coran’s face, but she suddenly laughed. “Would it be acceptable if the enemy wasn’t pirates?”

Coran started spluttering protests, and Allura held up her hands, hoping to keep him from having a complete ‘meltdown,’ as the paladins would say.

“Wait, what was that, Coran?” Shiro asked over the comms, and suddenly all five paladin displays were crowded into the monitor area.

“Did you say baby?” Lance said, pressing closer to his screen, “Nuh-uh, it’s not time yet.”

“What’s going on?” Hunk asked, frowning a little.

“Hey, we’re getting hit here, guys,” Pidge said, “This shield only does so much.”

Coran abandoned his control panel and ran over to Allura. “Shiro, return to the castle immediately, Allura is in labor!”

Five voices yelled at once. “What?!”

On screen, Voltron came to a complete stop, which was what she had wanted to prevent in the first place.

Shiro was visibly pale. “Allura?”

“If everyone would please calm down for a moment,” Allura said evenly but quickly, “Shiro, I’m all right, really. Paladins, if you can keep the fleet away from the stern of the castle, I can create a wormhole to L’thya.” That was where Maire’s midwife practice was located. While the birth plan had been to let Emi be born on Earth, nothing was currently going to plan so they would have to improvise. “We’ve done enough damage that Trusei shouldn’t be able to bother—”

“You’re having a baby, stop worrying about pirates!” Keith snapped, worry plain on his face.

“It’s only the initial stage,” she said sternly as if she wasn’t scared and this wasn’t her first time having a child. “And don’t yell at me.”

“I’m not, I’m just talking loud!”

“I’ll be right there, princess, I swear,” Shiro said, his voice tense, “Don’t—just—you shouldn’t—" He took a deep breath and looked at her with pleading grey eyes. "Please be careful. I love you, Allura.”

“I love you, too, Takashi,” Allura said, giving him a soft smile.

“Guys, let’s take care of this quick so Shiro can get back to the castle,” Lance said, “And before Keith has a full-on panic attack and stabs Voltron in the foot. I like being alive.”

“It’s a baby, it’s a big deal!”

“We’ll get Shiro back to you soon, Allura,” Hunk said, “Just keep breathing and stuff! In and out, like Maire said.”

“Hunk, she knows how to breathe,” Pidge said, "It's okay."

"I'm just trying to help."

"It's appreciated, Hunk," Allura said warmly.

While Coran fretted over her, she prepared to create the wormhole, bolstered by the fact that Shiro would be there soon. They could face anything as long as they were together. Even the birth of their firstborn.

 

 


	2. Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry this took a while! It's a five part fic. ^_^

An instant after the Black Lion landed in her hangar bay, Shiro was out of the cockpit and racing down the corridor of the Castle, heading toward the bridge and Allura. Worry was currently warring with excitement. Allura starting labor in the middle of a space battle definitely wasn't a part of the oh-so-carefully constructed birth plan, but maybe he should have expected that. It wasn't like there had ever been an Altean-Human child born before, so they were in new territory, which had caused quite a bit of anxiety during Allura's pregnancy.

This was just the latest surprise.

He almost collided with a wall as he took a tight turn, and he forced himself to slow down to a jog. It would be just his luck if he wiped out and ended up having to go into the hospital the same time as Allura. Still, he kept up a steady rushing pace before skidding into the elevator.

The elevator was too slow, but every other path to the bridge would take even more time. Shiro drummed his fingers on the wall as he leaned against it. The other paladins were asking a thousand questions over the comm system in their helmets, but Shiro was too occupied to pay attention. He let the familiar chatter roll over him.

"Does anyone remember what I did with the blanket? I didn't finish it! I thought I had more time—"

"It's in the rec room, remember? In the trunk." Trust Hunk to remember things for Lance. "You can try and finish it while we're waiting."

"Is the baby okay? Are we at L'thya yet? Has anyone told them we're coming?" Keith sounded stressed out. Babies and pregnancies were a new thing for him, and he had been rather concerned about Allura and the baby, like a paranoid younger brother. He was always the worst for being overprotective and worried when someone from Voltron's makeshift family was ill or hurting, so this had been multiple months of him in protective-mode.

"I'll contact them if Coran hasn't," Pidge piped up, "Oh, and Shiro, I know you're listening and I'm still petitioning for you to name her Princess Leia Merida Zelda Mulan."

"I hope that works out for you, Pidge," Shiro said, smiling a little.

"I won't be denied!"

"Mmm." He tuned all of them out, cutting out the paladin channel and focusing on the comm link to the bridge. He had tried to not bother Allura while she was creating the wormhole, but she was finished with that by now and they would be hovering over L'thya soon. "Princess? How are you doing?"

Allura's face appeared in the upper corner of his helmet's glass. She looked very calm for someone who had to be in pain, and she offered him a bright smile like nothing was wrong. "I'm all right, love," she said, "Where are you?"

"The elevator," he said, "Are you feeling all right? Shouldn't you be resting?" He could tell that she was still at her captain's post, navigating the Castle through the wormhole.

"I'm fine," she said, glancing away at something beyond the screen. She made a face as Coran pushed into view, flustered, his hair sticking straight out from his head. Apparently he was freaking out so much that his shapeshifting ability had kicked into gear and given him an electrified hair style.

"Shiro, she refuses to listen to reason and won't sit down, and I am at my wit's end here, I require assistance!" The orange-haired Altean shot Allura a frown and then looked back at Shiro.

"This stage of labor can last for hours," Allura said in a matter-of-fact tone. She lifted her chin in that stubborn way that Shiro loved so much. "I won't be forced to sit down."

Coran spluttered. "Shiro?"

"Allura knows her limits," Shiro said. He could see Coran's point, but he knew Allura was the best judge of her own body and what she could take. Besides, she was definitely right, all of the research the doctors said that this part of labor would take a while. It was something that was true for both humans and Alteans.

"Thank you, love." Allura tucked a loose strand of hair back behind her ear and met his eyes through the screen. "You are going to be here soon, correct?"

"Only a few ticks away."

"Good."

The elevator stopped, and Shiro took off again, making it to the bridge fast enough to break any previous records. Shiro glanced over at the view screens to see that they were over L'thya, which instantly put him more at ease. So his wife was in the middle of having a baby, had helped them fight off pirates, opened a wormhole in space, then flown through it. How was she even real?

"Number One!" Coran exclaimed, "We need to get the princess to the surface immediately."

"Working on it." He strode right over to the dais that Allura stood on and swept her into his arms, hugging her to him, his left hand tangling in her hair. He pulled back and cupped her face in his hands, tracing her cheek with his thumb. "You're amazing."

"I believe you've told me that a few times," she said with a smirk.

"Want me to stop?"

"Not really."

Shiro stepped back and put a hand on her stomach, a swell of affection for that small life welling in his chest. "Couldn't wait just a little longer, could you, kiddo?"

"Your first lecture as a real dad can be on patience," Allura teased gently, getting a laugh out of him.

"We're ready for this." He said it partly for her and partly for himself, an extra confirmation that even though this was happening sooner than anticipated, they were going to be fine.

"I think so," she said. The marks on her cheeks glowed even brighter for a moment, and she winced, her hand covering his. "In any case, she's coming whether we're ready or not."

A flash of panic crossed Shiro's face. "Was that a contraction?"

"Yes, but they're quite far apart," she said, "There's lots of time."

Shiro didn't want to second guess her, but now he was more on Coran's side of insisting that she sit down. He settled for holding her arm, his finger wrapped tightly around her elbow. "We should get down to the surface. I think Pidge contacted them, so they should be ready for us."

"I hailed them as well," Coran put in, appearing at Allura's side, his hair slightly more under control. "Please, princess, can we go now?"

Allura smiled and was about to answer him when the door to the bridge opened and the rest of the paladins swarmed in. Keith reached them first, his eyes round.

"Why are you guys still here?" he demanded, whipping toward Shiro.

"We're literally about to leave—"

"Allura needs a hospital!"

"And we're going to one right now," Shiro said, half-smiling at Allura as they started to walk toward the bridge door, the younger paladins going with them.

"It's going to be fine, Keith," Allura said, "You shouldn't worry so much."

"I'm not, it's just…you and the baby need a hospital." He frowned, obviously unhappy that neither of them were going as fast as he wanted.

"We'll get all of your stuff together and bring it to you," Hunk said, anxiety and joy mixing in his brown eyes, "And we'll make sure the Castle is okay. And everything's going to be great!"

"Thank you, Hunk," Allura said.

"Leia Merida Zelda Mulan!" Pidge declared, pumping a fist in the air, "Come on!"

"I told you, we already have a name picked out," Shiro said, reaching out to ruffle Pidge's long brown hair.

"And it's Leia Merida Zelda Mulan."

"If it's going to be any of those, it should be Zelda Mulan," Lance said, "It sounds better."

"I swear you'll all like what we picked out," Shiro said, "It's a good name."

"You named her something from anime, didn't you," Lance accused.

Shiro rolled his eyes. "Yes, you caught us, we're naming her Rukia Erza Mikasa Sakura Shirogane of Altea."

"I knew it!"


End file.
